A 13-year-old allegedly threatened to come to the school and harm people on a FaceTime call involving Davis Middle School students — while showing what appeared to be a firearm during the call. School administrators were alerted to the incident.
According to the Charles County Sheriff's Office, several Davis Middle School students were on the FaceTime call when the juvenile allegedly threatened to come to the school and harm people on the call. Once school administrators were alerted to what happened, they notified the school's School Resource Officer, who identified the juvenile and launched an investigation.
That investigation moved quickly once it started. The SRO conducted a home visit, and the sheriff's office investigated the allegation. The office also urged parents and guardians to talk with their children about reporting concerning behavior.
How the SRO Program Bridges Off-Campus Threats
The rapid turnaround was possible because of a standing arrangement between the sheriff's office and the school system: one School Resource Officer is assigned to every public middle and high school in the county to handle safety operations and criminal investigations, according to the Charles County Sheriff's Office. That coverage spans the county's public schools in a district of roughly 27,000 students, per Southern Maryland News Net.
Davis Middle School is mentioned in the reporting, and the sheriff's office notes it is one of the oldest law enforcement agencies in the country, established in 1658 and accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies since 2001.
A Gap Between the Threat and the Report
School administrators were alerted to the threat and then notified the SRO, who moved to identify the juvenile from there. Maryland does maintain a statewide option for exactly this kind of situation: the Maryland Center for School Safety runs Safe Schools Maryland, an anonymous reporting system reachable by app, website, or phone hotline at 1-833-MD-B-SAFE, which forwards reports to the appropriate official, according to the Maryland Center for School Safety.
What Comes Next for the Juvenile Suspect
Because the suspect is 13, his case will move through Maryland's juvenile justice system rather than adult criminal court. Under reforms from House Bill 814 that took effect in November 2024, juvenile courts retain jurisdiction over children aged 13 and older for delinquent acts, and Department of Juvenile Services intake officers have 15 days to decide whether a case should proceed to formal court, according to FindLaw.
Under Maryland Criminal Law § 3-1001, communicating a threat of mass violence is a misdemeanor that can carry up to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine, per the RMP Law Firm. Juvenile offenders like the 13-year-old in this case are instead handled through juvenile court procedures focused on rehabilitation rather than adult sentencing.
The Digital Threat
This incident involved a digital threat against a school.
Davis Middle School is mentioned in the reporting. Charles County schools have also grappled with other recent concerns.
For now, the sheriff's office says its message to families is straightforward: talk to kids about what to do when they see or hear something concerning, and report it. Anyone with information related to the case can contact the sheriff's office.
